How to Improve on Your Tennis Skills Consistency by Practicing Alone
Improving the consistency of your
tennis strokes requires mental consistency and many hours of practicing
the same stroke mechanics. Sometimes it is better to practice on your
own without a hitting partner because it is harder to be consistent when
you are trying to keep the ball in play. Practice alone with several
training aids to help stay focused while grooving your strokes.
Practice with a Ball Machine
Step 1
Find a tennis club or tennis
center in your area that rents out ball machines. Rent the machine and a
court for an hour. Ask for instructions on how to use the machine.
Step 2
Set the machine to shoot the
balls out with a slow to medium pace and with a comfortable bounce.
Adjust it so that there is no spin on the ball and it shoots straight
ahead.
Step 3
Place target cones on the court
to help you stay focused. Work on hitting one type of tennis stroke
over and over. This helps you groove this one stroke.
Step 4
Repeat this practice session
weekly. As your consistency improves, set the machine to shoot out more
penetrating balls with spin.
Hit Against a Backboard
Step 1
Stand 15 feet from a backboard
and hit forehand ground strokes for 15 minutes. Concentrating on one
stroke improves your muscle memory. Your body is learning which muscles
to use when you hit this shot in the future which is important for
consistency. Take a break and then continue the workout with backhands
for 15 minutes.
Step 2
Take a break to stretch out your forearms. Move 25 feet away from the backboard and repeat the ground stroke workout.
Step 3
Move to within 5 feet of the
backboard to work on your volleys. Start with your forehand volley. Set a
reachable goal of 10 consecutive volleys. If you reach your goal,
increase the number. After 10 minutes, work on your backhand volley.
Repeat the backboard workout weekly.
Serve Practice
Step 1
Buy a ball hopper, large enough
to hold 35 to 40 balls, and enough balls to fill it. Rent an hour of
court time once per week at your tennis club or center to work on your
serve.
Step 2
Take your usual service stance
at the baseline. Without hitting the ball, practice tossing it in the
same location over and over. A consistent serve starts with a consistent
toss.
Step 3
Move on to hitting serves once
your toss is consistent. Set up cones in the service box to give
yourself a target. Serve the same serve, toward the same cone 15 to 20
times before changing the type of serve or direction.
Practice with a Tennis Trainer
Step 1
Purchase a tennis trainer.
Several designs are on the market, but basically these training aids
have a weighed base, a rubber cord attached to them and a practice
tennis ball at the end of the cord. The trainer improves hand-eye
coordination and stamina in addition to stroke consistency.
Step 2
Rent a court and set the
trainer halfway between the net and the service line. When you hit the
ball over the net, the cord stretches out and returns the ball to you.
Hit 50 forehand ground strokes.
Step 3
Take a break and continue the
workout with 50 backhand ground strokes. As you get better, increase the
number. Repeat this workout weekly.
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